Poilievre May Have Lost His Seat, But He Isn't Going Away

(Chris Young/Canadian Press)

I must admit I took immense pleasure in Pierre Poilievre losing the Ottawa area seat he has held for more than 20 years during the Canadian federal election earlier this week. 

Not only did the Conservative Party fail to oust the Liberals from office making Poilievre Canada's next Prime Minister, but he was defeated by Liberal Party candidate Bruce Fanjoy by nearly 3800 votes. 

While the Conservative Party gained both seats in the House of Commons and in the popular vote, Poilievre is at least for now on the outside looking in.

I take in this immense pleasure because Poilievre comes off as smug and holier than thou person who thinks he knows better than you about everything and is incapable of admitting that he's wrong.

Kinda sounds like President Trump.

It is why Canadians rejected Poilievre, and it is why the people of Carleton turned on him.

Some humble pie was in order.

However, I suspect this joy will be short-lived.

I suspect that some poor Tory MP in Alberta (Poilievre was born and raised in Calgary) will have to fall on his or her sword so that Poilievre can run in a by-election.

This is certainly not without precedent. When former Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas ran for office in Regina during the NDP's inaugural federal election in 1962, he was defeated. However, Erhart Regier, a NDP MP elected in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby gave up his seat and Douglas won it in a by-election. So, I would be shocked if Poilievre didn't follow this path.

But if Poilievre did follow this path, and somehow ended up losing the by-election as well, then his goose would be cooked. I mean if the leader of the Conservative Party can't win a seat in Alberta, then he certainly has no business being Prime Minister.

In any case, I will take some pleasure in Poilievre being unable to ask Prime Minister Carney questions in the House of Commons. But he won't be away for very long.

A Miserable Morning on the MBTA

Life is full of annoyances and inconveniences. 

As such, one has to factor that these are more likely to happen than not. When these occurrences happen, one must realize it is beyond your control and out of your hands. This isn't to say there aren't ways around these mishaps but sometimes these roundabouts cause their own share of problems.

Today was not the first time I've had MBTA trouble, and it will not be the last - planned or otherwise.

I knew something was amiss when I saw a large number of people in front of the Porter Square T station on Somerville Avenue. No way that many people are waiting for a bus to Central Square. I overheard a gentleman talking and then approached him a minute later. He told me there was a fire emergency and Red Line service between Alewife and Park Street had been halted. 

There was to be shuttle bus service across the street. But after more than 20 minutes, nothing was happening. It was also very warm and sunny. That's fine except my fair skin doesn't do well standing in the sun for prolonged periods. I eventually joined the throngs of people who decided to cross the street and catch the Commuter Rail from Porter Square to North Station.

The ride to North Station was fine. The trick was getting out of North Station. The MBTA installed turnstiles where you have to scan ticket to leave the station. This is an effort to deter the homeless population. The problem is I didn't have the right type of card. Fortunately, I found a MBTA staffer who pet pity on me and let me out. Fortunately, this wasn't an airport in Paris much less "Charlie on the MTA".

Still, let's just say I'm not looking forward to these turnstiles coming to South Station later this year.

Once liberated from North Station, I took the Green Line to Park and saw that Red Line service had resumed. I was nearly 45 minutes late for work. Not the end of the world. But annoying and inconvenient.

What I worry about is something like this happening on the morning I fly to Pittsburgh en route to West Virginia in mid-June. It's one thing to be late for work. You can make up the time. But if I miss my flight then I'm up the proverbial creek. I can only hope it doesn't come to that. Not much else I can do.

In 100 Days, Trump Has Changed the Meaning of Citizenship

The pace of change in the United States during the first 100 days of his second term has been lightning fast. Because Trump has substantially changed so many things it is difficult to focus on everything, everywhere at all once.

But some things are bound to catch more attention than others as is the case with immigration. Aside from deporting people here illegally, the Trump Administration has been trying to deport people who were allowed to remain in this country (Kilmar Abrego Garcia), strip people of their visas by detaining them in broad daylight (Rumeysa Ozturk) and detain people with green cards (Mahmoud Khalil). 

At the same time, the Trump Administration is also trying to change the meaning of American citizenship. They are trying to make it a commodity which one can lose at a moment's notice like a 401(k). Trump has made it be known that he intends to deport American citizens with violent criminal records. Yet how long will it be before Trump will see fit to deport American citizens who do not agree with his policies?

There are U.S. citizens, born in this country, who are receiving letters telling them they have 7 days to leave the country. U.S. Custom and Border Protection says these are sent in error. Well, the Trump Administration also sent its letter to Harvard University in error and deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia in error. Yet the Administration's demands to Harvard are on while Abrego Garcia is in an El Salvadoran prison. So, you'll have to forgive me if I don't find CBP's assurances very reassuring.

With tensions between the United States and Canada at an all-time high, I wouldn't be surprised if dual American-Canadian citizens start getting letters being told they have been stripped of their citizenship and have a week to leave the country. 

If I get such a letter, my response to them is, "You and what army?"

For better or for worse (and probably for worse for the foreseeable future) the United States is my home. If I think it is fundamentally wrong for a law firm to cut deal with the Trump Administration telling them who they can and cannot represent, then it would be wrong for me to accept the terms of any such letter were it to be sent to my attention. 

I am an American citizen, and no presidential administration can arbitrarily take that away from me or anyone just because they don't like something we said or did in the normal course of exercising our First Amendment rights. 

It Appears That Canada Has Elected a 4th Consecutive Liberal Government

It is nearing 1 a.m., and here are the Canadian election results as of this writing.

Liberals - 163

Conservatives - 148

Bloc Quebecois - 23

NDP - 8

Green - 1

Keep in mind that these aren't final numbers. These numbers represent both elected and leading totals.

But if these numbers hold this will very likely be another Liberal minority government this time led by Mark Carney.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh finished in third place in his Vancouver suburban riding with the NDP vote having collapsed nationally and likely to lose party status in the House of Commons. As I am writing this, Singh has announced his intention to resign that position once an interim leader has been chosen. 

Yet the NDP vote collapse didn't universally benefit the Liberals. NDP voters in blue collar ridings in Ontario cities like London, Hamilton and Windsor voted Conservative. While the Conservatives increased their seat total and their vote total, Pierre Poilievre currently trails the Liberals in his Ottawa area riding while Carney easily won his riding in neighboring Nepean. It is a theoretically possible the Tories could form a minority government with the Bloc Quebecois but that would be a tall task if Poilievre doesn't win his seat. The problem for Poilievre (whether or not he wins his seat) is that he was expected to be Canada's next Prime Minister a few short months ago. Even with a strong showing, the outcome is still a bitter pill to swallow. But to give Poilievre his due, he ceded the election and criticized Trump. But his criticism came a day late and millions of dollars short. Ceding the election and criticizing Trump, however, did not endear him to his audience.

The problem for Poilievre was that President Trump has come charging into Canada like a bull in a China shop and Poilievre could do little to stand up to him. If not for Trump's imposition of tariffs and his refusal to recognize Canada as a sovereign country, Canadians would not have given Liberal a fourth chance at minding the store. While Poilievre spoke of the "lost Liberal decade", a plurality of voters is worried about the four years to come with Trump looming large are most confident with Mark Carney sitting across from him.

Should there be another Liberal minority government there is a distinct possibility Canadians could end up voting again before the end of 2025. Should this come to pass will Canadians give Carney a majority? Or will they pass the baton to Poilievre and the Tories? Either way Trump and a chauvinistic America will still loom large. Buckle up!!! This bumpy ride is going to get rockier. 

Unfortunately, Pope Francis Parroted Palestinian Propaganda

With Pope Francis now laid to rest, I would like to address some of his words and deeds which I found unsettling where it concerns Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Based on statements collected by the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations between the October 7th attacks and his death earlier this month, it is clear that the late pontiff had far more sympathy for the Palestinians than he did for the hostages taken by Hamas. Pope Francis invoked "Gaza" 56 times while only mentioning "hostages" 30 times. He only mentioned Hamas once and this mention is in dispute. 

What is not in dispute is that the Pope invoked the word "genocide" with regard to Israel's military operations in Gaza and that such claims ought to be investigated. And yet what of Hamas' genocidal designs on the Jews?

It would seem that Hamas' reign of terror of kidnapping, rape and murder didn't move Francis a great deal. The Pope was content to casually accuse Israel of deliberately killing babies and children. Last December, the late pontiff stated, “And with pain, I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty.”

The notion that Israel deliberately machine-gunned children while wantonly bombing schools and hospitals is not only defamation, but also blood libel. 

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. During the Christmas season, Pope Francis had no trouble blessing a Nativity scene depicting baby Jesus draped in a keffiyeh. 

Now, I don't expect the Pope to endorse military operations from any country. But I do expect the Pope not to parrot Palestinian propaganda while minimizing the suffering of the hostages at the hands of Hamas and their intentions to wipe out Jews from the face of the Earth. I can only hope the next Pope will be more understanding of this reality.

Why Have Vancouver Police Concluded the Ramming Attack Which Killed 11 People at Filipino Festival Isn't Terrorism?

Last night, during Vancouver's annual Lapu Lapu Day Festival, a vehicle plowed into a crowd killing 11 people and injuring more than 20. 

A 30-year-old male "who is known to police in certain circumstances" has been taken into custody.

Although the investigation is ongoing, Vancouver PD have concluded they "are confident that this was not an act of terrorism."

Why are authorities in Vancouver confident that this wasn't an act of terrorism or, at the very least, a hate crime against the Filipino community or Asians at large?

Under the circumstances, I think this is a reasonable question to ask. Especially as the attack occurred less than 48 hours before Canadians vote. 

This isn't to say that Vancouver PD is wrong. It might very well be the case that this could have been a drunk driver or someone who had a medical event while driving and lost control of his vehicle leading to tragic consequences.

At the same time, I fear Vancouver PD do not have all the facts at hand and may have been hasty in its assessment of the situation. What if it turns out the assailant harbored negative views of Asian on his social media accounts?

There exists the possibility the driver has mental health issues. Yet having mental health issues doesn't preclude bigotry or hatred towards specific groups of people.

Above all else, this kind of thing does not happen every day in Canada. The fact that this has happened and Vancouver PD are telling us this isn't terrorism then they need to be very clear why they have concluded this wasn't an act of terrorism. 

If this was an accident, then they need to say so. If it isn't it an accident, then they better tell us why they concluded that a deliberate act at the large public gathering of Vancouver's Filipino wasn't terrorism or a hate crime. If mental health is a factor, then they need to be clear in stating that they have checked out his social media and interactions with family and friends to indicate he does not have a history of hatred towards Asians or violent behavior in general.

The Vancouver PD owes that to the families of the 11 people who lost their lives last night as well as those who were injured in the incident and might very well be scarred for life because of it.

Cheech & Chong Will Always Be Jointed at the Hip

 

On Saturday evening, I ventured to the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge to take in a screening of Cheech & Chong's Last Movie. 

Unlike the pair's previous film collaborations, Cheech & Chong's Last Movie is a biographical documentary with a narrative structure of a road movie as Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong drive thru the desert together for one last ride.

And what a ride it has been for Marin, 78, and Chong, who turns 87 next month. That these two met at all is a minor miracle. After all, Marin grew up as among the few Chicanos in Watts, a predominantly African American neighborhood in Los Angeles while Chong was raised by a Chinese father and a white, Irish Scots mother on the outskirts of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

But Marin, like many young American men during the 1960's, made their way to Canada to dodge the draft and evade combat in the Vietnam War. When Marin met Chong in Vancouver in 1969, Chong had already some moderate success as a musician with Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers which had been signed to Motown at the behest of Diana Ross (although other accounts suggest it was fellow Supremes Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson who alerted Berry Gordy, Jr.). However they were signed to Motown, Chong co-wrote Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers' best-known song "Does Your Mama Know About Me?"

However, Taylor would leave the band, become a solo artist and produce the first works of The Jackson Five. Chong turned his attention to his family-owned strip club in Vancouver where he developed a burlesque improv group. This is where Marin enters the picture and joins the act. As with most experiments, this was one short-lived, but it would be the foundation of their partnership as a comedy duo.

The pair would eventually move to Hollywood, struggle for a years before producer Lou Adler took a chance on them and the result was rock 'n roll comedy gold with hit albums and movies which would define the 1970's. 

Cheech & Chong's Last Movie changed my perception of the pair in one respect. In front of the camera, Cheech is the wild, dominant figure whereas Chong is passive to the point of not being aware he exists. But behind the camera, it was Chong who did much of the organizational work especially when he began directing their films much to Cheech's chagrin. It was the reason the two parted ways after their 1984 film The Corsican Brothers (which notably dropped their drug humor) and did not work together again for nearly 20 years. It still remains a source of tension between them to this day.

Yet whatever the tensions, Cheech & Chong will always be joined at the hip, or in this case, jointed at the hip.

A couple of random observations. First, Chong's wife of 50 years, Shelby, is an absolute smoke show at the age of 77. Second, I was delighted to hear the 1970's all-female band Birtha's "Free Spirit" played almost in its entirety.

Finally, on a personal note, I've never really enjoyed marijuana, but I do get a high from Cheech & Chong's humor. Cheech & Chong's Last Movie is a suitable final course.

Pam Bondi Says "Nobody is Above the Law" in Wisconsin Judge's Arrest as Trump Admin Defies Supreme Court in Garcia Case

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed, "Nobody is the above law," yesterday following the arrest of Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan by the FBI.

Judge Dugan is alleged to have obstructed justice in allowing a person in the country in the illegally to evade detection by ICE. While even some critics of the Trump Administration cede that Judge Dugan may well have done what she has alleged to have done, the aim and objective of this arrest is to intimidate public officials where it concerns immigrants - be they here legally or not.

However, from where I sit, Bondi has a great deal of chutzpah to say that nobody is the above the law when she works for a White House which is openly defying a unanimous Supreme Court demanding the federal government to facilitate the return of wrongly deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia. 

Then again, the Supreme Court opened this door when they granted Trump's petition for presidential immunity last summer. So, we shouldn't be surprised when Trump sees fit to openly defy the Supreme Court even as he claims he isn't.

While it is true that Judge Dugan is not above the law, it is impossible for me to take AG Bondi's statement with any degree of seriousness. Bondi's edict is a classic case is demanding of others what she won't demand of herself or the administration which she serves.

If Trump Wants to Remember Holocaust Victims, Then He Shouldn't Have Hired Elon Musk Who Engages in Holocaust Denial

On Wednesday, President Trump issued a proclamation on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Trump stated in part:

The price to humanity of the lives lost during the Shoah can never be fully grasped or understood.  Yet, even in the wake of the Holocaust, a self-determined Jewish homeland rose from the ashes as the modern State of Israel.

Sadly, our Nation has borne witness to the worst outbreak of anti-Semitism on American soil in generations.  Nearly every day following the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Jewish Americans were threatened on our streets and in our public square — a reminder that the poison of anti-Semitism tragically still exists.

For that reason, my Administration is proudly upholding the basic truth that anti-Semitism has no place in a civilized society.  As President, I signed an Executive Order directing the Federal Government to use all available and appropriate legal tools to combat the explosion of anti-Semitic harassment in our schools and on college campuses — including through the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws.  We are also steadfastly committed to investigating and swiftly punishing all anti-Semitic discrimination in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities. 

While there is no doubt that a significant portion of anti-Semitism in this country is inspired by people born outside the United States who hold leftist points of view, to suggest that it represents the entirety of anti-Semitism in America is profoundly and utterly dishonest.

Combating anti-Semitism means combating regardless of its source. In which case, the Trump Administration needs to get its own house in order where it concerns anti-Semitism whether its hiring Kingsley Wilson, an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist as Pentagon deputy press secretary or Elon Musk's prominent role with DOGE while he retweets statement absolving Hitler of any responsibility for the Holocaust. 

The fact that Trump tolerates such people within his orbit make me disinclined to take anything he says about anti-Semitism with any degree of seriousness as is the case with his present tete-a-tete with Harvard. 

In other words, if you truly want to remember Holocaust victims, you don't hire someone who endorses the view that Hitler wasn't responsible for perpetrating the Holocaust let alone who tells Germans to move on from the Holocaust. 

On Taking My First Official Business Trip (Or Déja Vu All Over Again in New York)

Nearly six months has passed since my promotion. Prior to the promotion, I speculated that this would likely involve some travel.

Well, I have now completed my first official business trip. When I use the term business trip, I am specifically referring to an occasion when the company asks you to travel on their behalf and covers a portion of your expenses while being eligible for reimbursement for other expenses.

Since I am supervising people in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, I figured my first business trip of this nature to would be to California. Instead, my first business trip was to New York. 

I traveled from Boston to New York by Amtrak on Monday. This proved to be a busy day as it was Patriot's Day in Massachusetts and thus Marathon Monday and morning baseball at Fenway Park. It was the first time I've taken Amtrak in over 25 years. The last time I took Amtrak was a round trip between Montreal and New York in January 2000 prior to moving to this country.

Boston's South Station is dirty, rundown and has a serious homeless problem but you can find a place to seat. By contrast, Penn Station's newly christened Moynihan Station is clean, but the only seats are in the restaurants. I'm sure the intent is to discourage vagrancy. But when you're slogging around luggage it is nice to have a place to sit.

All things considered, I'm glad New York was my first business trip as I would be in familiar surroundings. I could stay with Dad instead of in a hotel and could walk to work as I did when I worked in the city from September 2018 to the first COVID shutdown in March 2020. To quote the late Yogi Berra, "It was déja vu all over again." Although instead of going to the Chrysler Building, I took a somewhat leisurely walk down 8th Avenue to the New York Times Building although the building itself is for all intents and purposes New York Times in name only.

The main reason I was sent to New York is because the law firm to which I am contracted is moving offices late next year. This gave me an opportunity to view the office firsthand and get an idea of what needs to be done on our end over the next 18 months or so. It also gave me an opportunity to get face time with my New York colleagues - Dewayne and Stefania. While we talk regularly during Team Meetings, you don't truly get to know someone until you have met them in person and spent some quality time with them. I am glad that this came to pass. I'm especially glad that I had a chance to buy them both lunch and talk on a more social basis. I'm also glad I will be able to claim the lunch as an expense. 

The journey, however, began ominously. The plan was for my immediate supervisor, who is based in Washington, D.C., to also join this trip. Unfortunately, shortly after her arrival in New York, she had a medical emergency and needed to go the hospital. I won't go into specifics other than to say that things have taken a turn for a better. However, at this point, we are taking things day to day. Nevertheless, it was too close for comfort.

Last night, after a full day of work, I met Dad in Bryant Park on a warm April day where temperatures reached nearly 80 degrees. It was an ideal night for an outdoor dinner before walking back to the Upper West Side. There are times when Dad tells me I should be doing this or looking into that. Not this time. He saw something different and told me, "I think you've turned a corner." He actually told me this several times. I was delighted to hear it each time he told me.

The best is hopefully yet to come. I suspect I will be coming down to New York again during the course of the office move. 

However, my next scheduled business trip will be as far removed from New York as you can get. In mid-June, I will be going to a conference at our company headquarters in Wheeling, West Virginia. I have never been to West Virginia. We will be going to Wheeling via a flight to Pittsburgh. I have never been to Pennsylvania either. A new journey awaits.

In the meantime, I am back at home and am equally looking forward to going back to the office and continue to pivot as my corner turns.

If I Knew I Had Only Hours to Live I Would Not Want to Spend Them with JD Vance

 

When I awoke to the news that Pope Francis had passed away this morning, I could not help but think that he had briefly spent the previous day visiting with Vice-President JD Vance.

Of course, the pontiff had been gravely ill for months and was hardly in any condition to meet with Vance, much less anyone else. One can only wonder how much pressure the Trump White House put upon the Holy See for Vance to have an audience with Pope Francis. Evidently Vance meeting the Pope's second-in-command Cardinal Pietro Parolin just wasn't good enough. 

Back in February, Pope Francis made a point of rebuking Vance after the Vice-President stated his interpretation of the Catholic doctrine ordo amoris. Vance argued that love was prioritized from family to neighbors to community to citizens and then rest of the world. Pope Francis countered that it is a love open to all without exception. By his own admission, Vance is "a baby Catholic" and "things about the faith I don't know". But this hasn't stopped him from using his position to make theological declarations and we can look forward to more encyclicals from the Vice-President over the next four years.

Although the meeting between Pope Francis and Vance was brief, conciliatory and cordial, it was also completely unnecessary. It certainly was not good for the Pope's health. While the Pope might have only had days to live, those days could have been spent in peace without JD Vance sullying his presence. Had he not met with Vance perhaps he would have enjoyed a few more days before meeting a peaceful end.

Granted, I am not the leader of one of the world's largest religious groups much less a person of considerable moral, spiritual and political influence. As such there are certain obligations which must be met and not of all those obligations are pleasant. Nevertheless, if I knew I only had a few hours left to live, I would not want to spend a minute of those hours with JD Vance. 

Indeed, there are a great many people who I would not wish to be surrounded by if my life were to draw to a sudden close. But JD Vance would be very close to the top of that list. R.I.P.

What if Mario Vargas Llosa Had Won The 1990 Peruvian Presidential Election?

When Mario Vargas Llosa passed away last Sunday, much of the obituaries and tributes revolved around his literary career. 

And justifiably so. After all, Vargas Llosa was bestowed with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010 "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat" in novels such as Time of the Hero, The Green House and Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter among others.

But as a political junkie, I remember Vargas Llosa for his unsuccessful attempt in running for the presidency of Peru in 1990. Despite his literary prestige, Vargas Llosa was unabashed champion of the free market and embraced Reaganism and Thatcherism. Like many young intellectuals, Vargas Llosa was man of the left until Cuban dictator Fidel Castro imprisoned his friend poet Heberto Padilla in 1971.

At the time Vargas Llosa ran for office, Peru was besieged with inflation. If you thought former President Biden couldn't control inflation, he had nothing Peruvian President Alan Garcia who presided over an economy that had an inflation rate of over 2775%. If that wasn't enough, the Maoist Shining Path were committing acts of terrorism against civilians.

Vargas Llosa won the first round of the presidential election, but did not reach the 50% plus one threshold necessary to win. This forced a runoff election against the relatively unknown economist Alberto Fujimori who presented himself as a more moderate voice and bested Vargas Llosa by a near 2:1 margin.

Alas, Fujimori, who passed away this past December, was anything but moderate. His economic policies were far more drastic than anything Vargas Llosa dared to propose. While Fujimori is credited with vanquishing the Shining Path, he did so by dissolving Congress and the Supreme Court. His rule led to extrajudicial killings and the forced sterilization of the Indigenous population. 

Fujimori served as Peru's President from 1990 until his resignation in 2000. After nearly five years in exile in Japan, Fujimori was arrested in 2005 while traveling in Chile. He would eventually be extradited to Peru where he faced trial for his role in the extrajudicial killings and forced sterilizations. In 2009, Fujimori was convicted of these crimes and was sentenced to 25-years in prison marking the first time a democratically elected leader had faced that sort of punishment in the country he once led. However, Fujimori would be pardoned and released from jail in 2017. 

In this context, one must ask what would have happened to Peru had Vargas Llosa been elected its President in 1990. One would like to think that Vargas Llosa would not have overseen extrajudicial killings or forcibly sterilized the country's Indigenous population. Yet it is worth noting that in 1983, Vargas Llosa was appointed to lead a commission inquiry regarding the deaths of 8 journalists murdered execution style. Instead of casting blame on Peru's death squads, blame was placed on Indigenous people claim they mistook the journalists for Shining Path terrorists. While it is possible that Vargas Llosa would not have been directly responsible for extrajudicial killings, he did demonstrate he was willing to look the other way. 

Then there is Peru's endemic corruption. Despite the prestige Vargas Llosa earned as a writer, this did not translate into money. Since Fujimori left office nearly a quarter century ago, Peru has had 10 Presidents many of whom are in jail for corruption or were accused of it before the net closed in. I'm not sure that Vargas Llosa would have acted any differently in this regard. 

In other words, Vargas Llosa might not have been any worse than his predecessors or successors. But then again, there is little proof to suggest he would have been any better - up to and including Fujimori. 

With this in mind, given that Vargas Llosa never ran for political office again, I suspect that Vargas Llosa was glad he lost and free to resume his literary career. R.I.P.

Trump Rules Out Military Intervention in Iran, But Not in Greenland or Panama

A couple of days ago, news emerged that President Trump had quashed Israeli plans to take out Iran's nuclear program next month - an effort which would have required U.S. military support.

Trump did so in an effort to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran that is likely to be little better than the one President Obama negotiated with Tehran 10 years ago. Of course, in ruling out the possibility of military action, Iran has little incentive to make a deal, let alone abandon its nuclear program, and can just string Trump along.

So. while a military option is off the table where it concerns a nuclear Iran, Trump will not rule out military action to claim Greenland or reclaim the Panama Canal.

This is typical Trump. Threaten our allies while sucking up to our enemies.

My Thoughts on the Canadian Election English Language Leaders Debate

 

(YouTube screenshot: From left to right: Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, Canadian Prime Minister & Liberal Party leader Mark Carney, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh & Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet)

Earlier this evening, I watched the Canadian election English language debate which aired and was streamed by Global TV and moderated by veteran TV journalist Steve Paikin. 

Last night, the French language debate took place. As I am not conversant in French, I did not watch that debate. I was also more interested in watching a debate that would be viewed by a more substantial number of Canadians.

Unlike U.S. presidential debates which feature the Democratic and Republican candidates, this debate featured four leaders - Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet.

Neither Singh nor Blanchet will become Canada's next Prime Minister. However, both men could determine who the next Prime Minister is in the event of a minority government which has been the result of the previous two federal elections.

A year ago, when Justin Trudeau was still in office, the next Canadian election was Pierre Poilievre's to lose. He was a Prime Minister in waiting.

But with the return of Donald Trump to the White House his tariff regime against Canada and 51st state annexation rhetoric accompanied by Trudeau's resignation and Carney's ascension, the Liberals have the wind at their back. 

The task for Poilievre was to regain his mojo while the task for Carney was not to shit the bed.

With that, let me evaluate the leaders on how I perceived their performance as they appeared on stage from left to right.

Pierre Poilievre - I think Conservatives will be reasonably happy with his performance. If you like Poilievre for "owning the Libs" then you got to have your red meat and chocolate ice cream today. However, for Canadians who had doubts about Poilievre, then I'm not sure he overcame them. Poilievre alternated between being a pit bull and trying to be empathetic. He is a natural with the former and a phony with the latter.

Poilievre frequently spoke of the lost Liberal decade despite the fact that Carney has been in office scarcely a month. He kept his commentary about Trump to a minimum so as not to risk alienating his conservative base. The only time Poilievre asserted independence of the U.S. was in his claim of support to Ukraine. However, Carney reminded voters that Poilievre had voted against aid to Ukraine.

Frankly, Poilievre was grandstanding and generally acting like a prick. When Poilievre was given an opportunity to ask Carney about his time as Justin Trudeau's economic adviser, Poilievre wouldn't let him answer the question as he clearly wasn't interested his answer. When Carney got to ask Poilievre about why he wouldn't get a security clearance, he gave a bizarre answer about not wanting to be prosecuted by the Trudeau government by speaking freely about Chinese interference in Canadian elections. To which, Carney replied that Singh and Blanchet had spoken out against Chinese interference in Canadian elections and they had not been subject to prosecution. Carney then added that China wasn't the only country that had interfered in Canadian elections, a point Poilievre reluctantly conceded.

Don't get me wrong. Large numbers of Canadian will go to Poilievre's rallies. But unless Poilievre turns out to be Donald Trump, it won't translate into votes. And Trump is the last thing Poilievre wants to be in front a Canadian electorate which despises the President. However, try as he might, Poilievre cannot escape Trump's bigly shadow.

Mark Carney - This is the Prime Minister's first election campaign - ever. While not being a seasoned politician could be an asset, it could also be a liability especially in a debate. I did fear that Carney could be vulnerable from attacks from Poilievre. There were times when Carney was on the defensive and appeared exasperated and repeatedly said, "Let me finish." But this might have helped him as was the case when Poilievre made it clear he had no intention of letting Carney answer the question he had himself posed. Singh and Blanchet were no better. Most notably, unlike Poilievre, Singh and Blanchet, Carney never interrupted his opponents and went out of his way to respect Paikin's time constraints. I have never seen a candidate do that before. 

On a personal note, Carney took it upon himself to raise the issue of anti-Semitism of his own accord particularly concerning the harassment and threats made against Jews going to our schools and synagogues and promised legislation to harshly punish those impede people from coming and going freely to their houses of worship. While it remains to be seen if Carney can deliver, I appreciate the fact that he brought it up without any prompting him.

As stated earlier, all Carney had to do was not shit the bed and he more than cleared that hurdle. 

Jagmeet Singh - This is Singh's third election as NDP leader and most likely his last. Since Carney replaced Trudeau as Liberal Party leader, the NDP's polling numbers have cratered. As of this writing, the NDP is projected to win 8 seats which would result in losing party status in the House of Commons.

Not only is this bad news for Singh and the NDP, but it is bad news for the Poilievre and the Tories. In order for the Conservatives to form a government, they need a strong NDP vote to weaken the Liberals.

For his part, Singh was very aggressive but in such a way that he was fighting for his political life and that of his party. Attacking Carney and Poilievre in nearly equal measure, Singh came dangerously close to being almost as obnoxious as Poilievre with his frequent interjections and interruptions. He simply did not help his cause and, in so doing, did not help the Tories either.

On a personal note, as some of you know I was a card-carrying member of the NDP as a teenager and into early adulthood. Of course, I would jettison left-wing politics after 9/11 and soon after began identifying myself as a conservative. The emergence of Trump and the spread of COVID resulted in a leftward tilt. But I can never identify as left-wing or as a socialist because of anti-Israel sentiment. When Singh claimed Israel is guilty of genocide during the debate, it reminded me of how far removed I am from the NDP. For some things, I can never go back.

Yves François-Blanchet - Given that his party only runs in Quebec and Blanchet's English isn't that good, he spoke less than the other leaders - a fact he was not happy about. When Blanchet did speak and was understood, his tone was pompous particularly towards Carney as Carney tried to answer Blanchet's question about his finances. I'm not saying that Blanchet doesn't have a legitimate question. But like Poilievre, he didn't want to hear Carney's answer. 

Blanchet made a point of saying he wasn't interested in being Prime Minister. But he does want to be a power broker. In which case, the Bloc might very well determine who becomes the next Prime Minister and, given his rhetoric, I could see Blanchet propping up Poilievre and bringing the Tories to power. 

Conclusion - I don't think this debate will move the needle much, as the kids like to say. As mentioned a moment ago, if Poilievre does gain some momentum after the debate, I do see the possibility of a Tory minority government backed by the separatist Bloc. But this would need to be accompanied by a NDP rebound and I don't see this happening. 

Above all else, President Trump remains a clear and present danger to not only the Canadian economy but to Canada's future existence as a country. Pierre Poilievre simply isn't prepared to address this clear and present danger. He prefers to focus on the 10 years behind us instead of the 4 years ahead. If the mood of the Canadian electorate is focused on that future, then Mark Carney could win a majority government of 200 plus seats, a total the Trudeaus, Jean Chretien, MacKenzie King and even Wilfrid Laurier could not dare to dream.

But we shall see in 11 days from now.

A Most Disgusting Act By ICE in New Bedford, Massachusetts

 

On Monday, ICE agents surrounded a vehicle in New Bedford, Massachusetts (about 60 miles south of Boston) looking for someone named Antonio.

The fact that Juan Francisco Mendez, a Guatemalan migrant, was not named Antonio was immaterial to ICE agents who smashed the windows of the vehicle he shared with his wife Marilu and took him into custody. Mendez is now being held in New Hampshire and awaiting a hearing. 

ICE really isn't interested in whether it is actually apprehending the correct person. They want bodies and anyone who looks like "they don't belong here" will do. They also want to put on a spectacle and exercise power and force over people who have none and whom they perceive as subhuman.

It was a disgusting act by ICE who see fit to behave like hooligans and thugs. 

I hate to say it, but it is only a matter of time before ICE uses violence to wrongfully detain someone who will defend themselves with lethal force. Of course, should this come to pass, it would only embolden the Trump Administration to give ICE the greenlight to engage in worse behavior. 

Even if such a scenario doesn't come to pass, things are only going to get more brutish and nastier. What happened in New Bedford will soon become a routine part of daily American life. A routine accompanied by a populace full of fear and apprehension which is exactly what the Trump Administration wants. We should not give it to them.

PA Gov Shapiro's Home Was Targeted Because He is Jewish & Pro-Israel

When Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to evacuate the Governor's residence only hours after a Passover seder after it was damaged due to arson, I inquired if the attack was motivated by anti-Semitism.

Pennsylvania State Police subsequently revealed that the suspect Cody Balmer had told them he targeted Shapiro because of his Jewish faith and because "he will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.” Balmer never saw Shapiro nor his family, but had he saw Shapiro he would have hit him with a hammer. 

It has also been revealed that Balmer is an admirer of the late Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. So, while this was anti-Semitism of the left-wing variety, it does go to show the Trump Administration in its campaign against academia that it is too narrowly focused on anti-Semitism being a foreign phenomenon. Sadly, there is plenty of homegrown anti-Semitism in this country and one of those homegrown anti-Semites committed violence in the home of Governor Shapiro. 

What is most disturbing is the equivocation and indifference. Given that the perpetrator has left-wing sympathies that Republicans would rush to Shapiro's defense. Alas, no. Dan Meuser, a Pennsylvania Republican Congressman, actually claimed Shapiro bore some responsibility for the attack:

Our hearts go out to the Shapiro family on this, but they gotta tone it down too. Every action Josh Shapiro has taken so far against the president has either been a lawsuit or a falsehood.

What a load of garbage. Clearly this attack had nothing to do with any criticism Shapiro may have had with Trump. Meuser is clearly turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism. Not only did Governor Shapiro condemn the attempted assassination of then presidential candidate Donald Trump last summer, he stated that Corey Comperatore, the fireman felled by the assassin's bullets, "died a hero." 

Now if only Trump was willing to give Shapiro the same consideration. I mean if Trump is prepared to withdraw billions in funding from Harvard for campus anti-Semitism, then he ought to have a moment for Governor Shapiro. Then again, it was Trump who referred to Shapiro as "the highly overrated Jewish Governor" during the DNC last August. Perhaps it is best that Shapiro doesn't hear from Trump because he will likely either lie through his teeth or say something stupid. 

Perhaps both Trump and Meuser should look to Pennsylvania Republican Senator Dave McCormick who called the attack on Shapiro's home "an assault against democracy."

And when democracy is assaulted, it goes hand-in-hand with anti-Semitism.

Trump Wants to be President of Harvard, Not Combat Anti-Semitism

Let me begin by saying that anyone who had read these dispatches knows I do not like how Harvard University and its entities has addressed anti-Semitism on its campus even before October 7, 2023.

However, earlier this year, Harvard settled a lawsuit with Students Against Anti-Semitism, the terms of which included, among other things, adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, an annual symposium on anti-Semitism and strengthening ties with Israeli academic institutions. 

Yet clearly the Trump Administration is not satisfied with the terms of the settlement as evidenced by their letter dated April 11th jointly signed by officials with the soon-to-be chloroformed Department of Education, Department of Health & Human Services and the General Services Administration, this has very little to do with the question of anti-Semitism and more to do with ending DEI, limiting the presence of international students on campus and, above all else, hiring academics who tout the Trump Administration line. In which case, Harvard can expect an influx of academics from the Claremont Institute and the Heritage Foundation.

Harvard University President Alan Garber politely told the Trump Administration to go fly a kite.

To which the Trump Administration through its Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism promptly froze $2.2 billion in grants as well as an additional $60 million government contracts with the Ivy League school.

From where I sit down the road from Harvard Yard, this is an attempt by the Trump Administration to create new foundations to control American academic institutions led by their cronies along the lines of what occurred in Hungary under Viktor Orban in 2021. 

But let's not forget this is Trump we are talking about who has all the subtlety of a ballpein hammer. Given the prestige the Harvard name has around the world, despite its problems, I believe that Trump will try to find a way to appoint himself President of Harvard University just as he did with the Kennedy Center for the Arts who named him their Chair.

Should this come to pass, efforts to combat anti-Semitism will fall by the wayside. Which would not be a surprise considering the Trump Administration is more than happy to tolerate Elon Musk's occasional Holocaust denial re-tweets. 

Again, Harvard University deserves a great deal of criticism for the manner in which it has addressed campus anti-Semitism. But it has taken steps in the right direction as a result of the lawsuit settlement with Students Against Anti-Semitism. However, the Trump Administration's Joint Taskforce to Combat Anti-Semitism treats anti-Semitism as a tertiary afterthought. 

The real aim is to bring Harvard under its thumb just as it is doing with prominent law firms around the country, the media and other independent institutions within our civil society.

If the Trump Administration is successful in taking over Harvard (and installing Trump as its President) it will likely have the effect of aggravating anti-Semitism instead of combatting it.

El Salvadoran Dictator Bukele Calls Kilmar Abrego Garcia "a Terrorist"; Claims He Has No Authority to Return Him to U.S.

 

After the Supreme Court ruled the Trump Administration merely had to "facilitate" rather than "effectuate" the return of wrongly deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, I predicted the Trump Administration would see to it that Abrego Garcia would spend the rest of his life in a Salvadoran supermax.

However, I subsequently held out some faint hope that El Salvadoran President Nayid Bukele might make a good will gesture and release him during his visit to this country.

It would seem I expressed far too much optimism.

During his White House visit today, Bukele called the idea of releasing Abrego Garcia "preposterous". 

In case there was any ambiguity about the matter Bukele then referred to Abrego Garcia as "terrorist".

Bukele asked, "How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States?”

Aside from the fact it has never been proven that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13, let alone been convicted for a crime, it is telling that Bukele claims he doesn't have the power to release Abrego Garcia. This echoes what the Trump Administration has repeatedly said. 

So, if neither the Trump Administration nor Bukele has the authority to release Abrego Garcia then who does?

In reality, they both do. They just don't want to take responsibility for a mistake. They're not interested in making this right.

Instead, they would rather punish an innocent man by letting him die in a prison while they line their pockets. 

By the looks of it, there are going to be a lot of people (including American citizens) joining Kilmar Abrego Garcia in a Salvadoran supermax.

Poilievre Vowing to Deport Anti-Israel Protesters Will Remind Canadians of Trump & Strengthen The Liberals

Yesterday, during a visit to the Ottawa suburb of Nepean (where Prime Minister Mark Carney is running) Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre vowed to deport anti-Israel protesters:

Poilievre stated, "Anyone who is here on a visitor visa who carries out law-breaking will be deported from this country." 

Now there is no question that Canada has experienced increased anti-Semitic violence whether its synagogues in Montreal being firebombed, pro-Hamas agitators clashing with police also in Montreal, pro-Hamas slogan on Jewish schools in Calgary, along with gunshots fired at a Jewish girls' school in Toronto on multiple occasions. 

Yet in adopting this rhetoric, Poilievre is channeling President Trump after weeks of trying to distance himself from him. If Canadians believe that Poilievre is serious about doing this then Canadians are going to think people are going to be kidnapped by goons in unmarked vehicles as was done a few short miles from where I am in Somerville. If that is the case, then Poilievre will only succeed in driving Canadian voters into the arms of Mark Carney and the Liberals.

I'm not saying that people in Canada on a tourist visa who engage in violence with police, vandalize Jewish schools or shoot bullets at synagogues shouldn't be deported. However, Poilievre is framing anti-Semitism in Canada exclusively as a problem by foreign-born non-citizens.

There are plenty of people born in Canada who harbor anti-Semitic attitudes. But if those anti-Semitic people support causes with which Poilievre agrees (i.e. the 2022 trucker convoy) then he looks the other way and pretends there isn't a problem.

As I argued yesterday, while I am concerned with whether Carney deems Israel's military operations in Gaza as genocide, I also think Poilievre claims that he is champion of the Jews rings hollow.

If Poilievre is sincere about combating anti-Semitism, then the strategy has to combat anti-Semitism regardless of its source (foreign or domestic, left or right). At this point, like Trump, he seems more concerned with deporting people than actually addressing anti-Semitism. 

Tommy Helms, 1966 NL Rookie of the Year, Dead at 83

 

Former MLB player, coach and manager Tommy Helms has passed away at the age of 83.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Helms was signed by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in 1959. He enjoyed cups of coffee with the in the majors with the Reds in 1964 and 1965 before making the big-league squad in 1966.

Helms would make an immediate impression at third base for the Reds winning NL Rookie of the Year honors for the Reds in 1966 hitting. 284 with 9 HR and 49 RBI while playing sterling defense at the hot corner. 

In 1967, Helms would be moved to second base, but he continued to excel earning NL All-Star Team selections in both 1967 and 1968.

In 1970, Helms earned a Gold Glove for his play at second as the Reds won the NL pennant under first year manager Sparky Anderson. Alas, the Reds would fall to the Baltimore Orioles in five games largely due to the heroics of future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.

Helms would earn yet another Gold Glove at second base for the Reds in 1971. Unfortunately, the Reds had taken a big step back in 1971. After going 102-60 in 1970, the Reds regressed to a 79-83 record in 1971 finishing in a tie for fourth place in the NL West with the Houston Astros. 

The Reds took drastic measures in the off-season in arguably their most significant trade in franchise history. Cincinnati traded Helms, slugger Lee May and Jimmy Stewart (the utility player, not the actor) to the aforementioned Houston Astros in exchange for second baseman Joe Morgan, outfielders Cesar Geronimo and Ed Armbrister, infielder Denis Menke and pitcher Jack Billingham. 

While initially an unpopular move, the trade would ultimately make Cincinnati the Big Red Machine with Jack Billingham emerging as the staff ace, Cesar Geronimo earning four Gold Gloves for his outfield defense while Joe Morgan would earn back-to-back NL MVPs in 1975-1976 in conjunction with the Reds winning back-to-back World Series titles and an eventual plaque in Cooperstown.

Helms enjoyed three solid seasons in Houston twice topping a career best 60 RBI. However, his productivity would decline dramatically during the 1975 season. His final two big league seasons would be split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox.

In 1435 career games, Helms collected 1342 hits for a lifetime batting average of .269 with 34 HR and 477 RBI. A great contact hitter, Helms only struck out 301 times in 5337 career plate appearances. Helms only struck out more than 40 times in a season only once in his big-league career. 

In 1979, Helms would be inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Helms would return to MLB in 1981 when he joined the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers spending two seasons in Arlington under Don Zimmer and Darrell Johnson. In 1983, Helms would return to the Reds as a member of their coaching staff where he would spend the rest of the decade. 

In both 1988 and 1989, Helms would serve as the Reds acting manager. Helms earned the manager's chair in 1988 after Pete Rose was suspended for a month following an on-field physical altercation with umpire Dave Pallone. The Reds would call upon Helms again the following year after Rose was given a lifetime ban by MLB Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for gambling on baseball.

Unfortunately, for Helms, Reds owner Marge Schott did not give him the chance to manage the club full time come 1990 opting to choose former New York Yankees manager Lou Piniella instead. This left Helms enraged and left the Reds organization on bad terms. However, Piniella would lead the Reds to a World Series title in 1990.

Helms would spend most of the 1990 season managing the Charlotte Knights, then a Double-AA affiliate for the Chicago Cubs. But he would resign late in the season amid divorce proceedings. In the early 2000s, Helms would manage the Atlantic City Surf of the independent Atlantic League.

Both of Helms' sons (Tommy, Jr. and Ryan) played minor league baseball. Sadly, both of his sons died months apart in 2014. Helms' nephew Wes would enjoy a 13-year MLB career with the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Tommy Helms leaves this world as among the greatest to ever wear a Cincinnati Reds uniform. R.I.P.

Could Anti-Semitism Have Been a Motive Behind the Arson Attack at PA Gov Shapiro's Residence?

(Matt Rourke/Associated Press)

Early this morning, Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated from the Governor's residence in Harrisburg after a fire was deliberately set.

No one was injured in the incident and Pennsylvania State Police subsequently apprehended a 38-year-old man from Harrisburg named Cody Balmer who was found with incendiary devices in his possession.

At this point, Balmer has yet to be arraigned. His motives are not yet known.

However, I don't think we can discount the possibility that the suspect's actions may have been motivated by anti-Semitism.

The last post Governor Shapiro made on X was an image of his family's Passover Seder table. 

If this was indeed the motivation, is Balmer a white supremacist or a pro-Hamas sympathizer?

Of course, there is a possibility that Balmer's alleged actions weren't motivated by anti-Semitism. He could be angry at Shapiro for some other reason. 

There is also the possibility of mental illness. The attack did make me think of the 1995 break-in at then Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien's residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa during which the assailant was confronted by his wife Aline. While Andre Dallaire was found guilty of attempted murder, he was not held criminally responsible due to his mental condition.

Nevertheless, given the increased incidents of anti-Semitism in this country over the past 18 months or so, the fact that Governor Shapiro is Jewish and that this took place only hours after the beginning of Passover, the possibility this attack was motivated by anti-Semitism cannot be discounted.

Could Kilmar Abrego Garcia Accompany El Salvador President Bukele Back to U.S.?

(Salvador Melendez/Associated Press)

The Trump Administration, through the State Department, has confirmed that the wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia is alive but "detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”

Of course, this is nonsense.

Abrego Garcia was detained by ICE under the authority of the Trump Administration and, as it turned out, was wrongfully detained. El Salvador is just where he ended up.

The Trump Administration's claim that Abrego Garcia has been detained by El Salvador flies in the face of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that they must "facilitate" his release.

The only way I see Abrego Garcia ever leaving El Salvador is if he accompanies President Nayib Bukele to the United States on Monday where he is due in Washington for a White House visit with President Trump.

I could see this happening as a propaganda photo-op masquerading as a goodwill gesture from Bukele in an effort to portray himself as a benevolent figure. Who knows? Bukele might bring Abrego Garcia to the White House and bring Trump into the proceedings?

It would be a great indignity to Abrego Garcia, who would be forced to be in the presence of these two awful men.  Although I suppose a couple of hours with Bukele and Trump are preferable to spending the rest of his life in a supermax. 

There is a certain strategic value for both Bukele and Trump by releasing Abrego Garcia. If Bukele does brings Abrego Garcia back to the United States, it removes scrutiny of his supermax prisons and the Trump Administration who will continue to be under scrutiny from District Court Judge Paula Xinis who is demanding the Trump Administration take steps to facilitate his release. 

As odious as both Bukele and Trump are, this is probably the best opportunity for Abrego Garcia to attain his freedom. That is, of course, assuming the Trump Administration doesn't turn out and try to issue "trumped" up charges of gang affiliation. 

Whatever the case, if Kilmar Abrego Garcia isn't on that plane with President Bukele on Monday, I don't think he will ever leave El Salvador.

My Concerns About What Mark Carney Heard or Didn't Hear About Gaza

When Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke at a Liberal Party rally in Calgary on Tuesday, he was interrupted by an anti-Israel heckler who shouted, “Mr. Carney, there’s a genocide in Palestine”.

To which Carney replied, "I'm aware. That’s why we have an arms embargo.”

This raised the ire of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who stated:

Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney. But instead of supporting Israel, a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the one and only Jewish state. Mr. Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement!

For his part, Carney claims he didn't hear the word "genocide":

I didn't hear that word. It's noisy. If you're up there you hear snippets of what people say and I heard Gaza, and my point was I'm aware of the situation in Gaza.

So, Carney is telling us he heard Gaza, but not genocide. 

I have a hard time believing him. 

If he didn't hear everything or had a hard time hearing, Carney either shouldn't have responded or indicated that he was speaking while not addressing the substance of the heckler's remarks.

I mean it's not like Carney is the first politician to be heckled in this manner. Indeed, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was heckled multiple times by anti-Israel protesters all of whom used the term genocide. Frankly, I didn't care for Harris' equivocation. But for a myriad of other reasons, I voted for her. 

Full disclosure. I have applied for a mail in ballot and intend to vote Liberal for the first time in my life.

Nevertheless, I am concerned by Carney's response and equally concerned he didn't reject the heckler's characterization of genocide even if he genuinely didn't hear it at the time.

With that said, I also question Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre's support for Israel while personally praising white supremacist groups. 

You can support one or the other. You cannot support both.

For his part, Poilievre has not chimed in on Carney's heckler incident. Perhaps he is waiting for the French or English language leaders' debates next week to raise the issue.

Back in February, during the Liberal Party leadership debate, Carney stated he was in agreement with Hamas only for his opponent Chrystia Freeland to intervene allowing Carney to correct himself. 

Should such a mishap occur again, Poilievre will not be so friendly.

If Poilievre does raise the issue, it will be interesting to see how Carney responds.

Should Carney need to respond, hopefully he will have heard everything beforehand.

Why I Don't Think Trump Has Blinked, Backed Down or Retreated on Tariffs

Earlier this week, when President Trump lifted reciprocal tariffs from most nations while increasing them against China only a week after so-called Liberation Day, some made the case that he had blinked, backed down and retreated.

I don't think Trump has done so at all. At most, call it what you will, the blinking, backing down and retreating is only temporary.

After all, the pause is but for a mere 90 days. Trump's stock and trade (for a lack of a better term) is alternating sticks and carrots even if the carrots taste like sticks. When it comes to Canada and Mexico in particular, Trump has gone back and forth between threatening tariffs, holding off on them, imposing them then scaling them back. As I put it, it is a case of I tariff you, I tariff you not.

French President Emmanuel Macron views the 90-day reprieve as "a fragile pause." After all, there remains a baseline tariff of 10% plus a 25% tariff on steel. aluminum and cars for the EU. 

What makes anyone think Trump is going to change his behavior? Tariffs are the central plank of Trump's economic policy. His hubris is such that he thinks he holds all the cards even if he is leveraged to the hilt to get even get to play at the blackjack table. No wonder he managed to bankrupt a casino. 

In the case of his tariff policy, Trump has undermined the predictability and stability of the marketplace. As I argued back in February, this is bound to lead to a global recession:

No one win with tariffs. Canada, Mexico and China will suffer. So too will the United States. With importers facing heavier costs those costs will be passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices and workers in the form of fewer jobs. The result will be a global recession. 

Trump has acknowledged that Americans will feel the pain of tariffs. It would be a self-inflicted wound but Trump will feel nothing so the policy will continue until he gets bored or leaves office.

Well, Trump isn't about to leave office and might very well decide to stay beyond 2028. In which case, one can only hope he will get bored. But tariffs are as appetizing to Trump as McDonald's Big Macs and Diet Coke. Unfortunately, this means he will never bore of a meal consisting of two Big Macs, a Diet Coke with a side of tariffs.